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[hopeitfloats]

has anyone had much experience with laying static grass.  i have tried most manual methods but seem to end up with more lying flat than standing up as it should.  i have made an  applicator from a electronic fly swatter and it works better than manual but far from perfect. general thoughts seem to be that  it is probably due to not high enough output voltage

[hopeitfloats]

no one done it then. darn. back to the experimenting

[HS93 (RIP)]

go on give us a clue , what is it please.

peter

[hopeitfloats]

 its a fibre grass that when given a high voltage charge is supposed to stand up to give an effect of long grass. it looks really good but i cant seem to get the results

[HS93 (RIP)]

Thanks for that , I have some in the rear garden , but it does not need a high voltage charge, just rain. Must motivate the wife.

sorry no idea how to help

Peter

[omra85]

I don't know if this will help - sounds just like Blue Peter
http://altezeitgruppe.com/scenic_treatment.htm
Danny

[catengineman]

Puffing Grass..... isnt that a tad illegal?

R,

[djrobbo]

Tried one at an exhibition ..works really well , but dammed expensive for a torch with some flock in it  The puffer system works very well and is a dammed sight cheaper .

              regards......bob.

[Rex Hunt]

Does it not need a special applicator bottle...........bit like the 'chippie's ' salt shaker but plastic?   

Glue the surface and sprinkle the grass from the 'shaker'...this puts a static charge on the nylon bristles making them stand on end in the gum.

Rex

[hopeitfloats]

been there  done that. the shaker worked for me but probably  40% of it stood up.  my fly swatter applicator had 60 -  65% stand but i want 100% but will settle for 90.  i'll keep trying and a local rail publication just out in the last few days has come up with a few modifications to a home made applicator that i might just try on mine.

[hopeitfloats]

omra85. checked that site you mentioned and there were a couple of things in it i will try to. thanks.   

craig.

[cos918]

a german call noch made the static grass that was lift up by an eletric static gun

john

[Mike D]

Hi there, Ive used noch puffer grass on my model railway for weeds and short grass on a derelict site, apply wood glue where you want it, then used the puffer bottle to apply it, vacuum away whats left over, then run a magnet over it for it to stand up





 what I use for longer rough grass, for things like railway embankments is car soundproofing,from older cars. teased (to get rid of the long braided bits)  and stuck into a layer of woodglue in clumps, when dry tease it out with a wire brush then painted with water colours, sap green is the best colour I think, theres a section on my website showing how I built it,



http://michael-delamar.fotoblog.co.uk/

any questions just ask, my main hobby is model railways,been a member of my local model railway club for over 10 years, and exhibit layouts weve built all over the country.

I registered to this site for some model boat item advice, the guys here have been very helpfull, dont know much about model boats, but anything you wanna know about model railways dont be afraid to ask



cheers

Mike

[hopeitfloats]

thank you all. i think i have had more hints/tips  in the last week than i have for the previous month or two that i have been experimenting.

[Martin (Admin)]

What about these devices?



Gras-Master Electro-Static flocking tool comes complete with a nozzle, and is ideal for applying static grass on to a layout for added realism. The new nozzle is designed for flocking small / hard to reach areas, giving finer control over application.

http://www.gaugemaster.com/item_details.asp?code=N60130

At £135, nice and cheap too! 

[Colin Bishop]

Gras-Master Electro-Static flocking tool comes complete with a nozzle

And you spelt it right too Martin! 

[Martin (Admin)]

AH! That means it was this day for this year then....

[salty Nscaler]

Hi Hope,Try going to woodlandscenics and check out the grass and weeds they sell,I'm sure you Can find a local hobby in the fall I go out in my woods and use real grasses try them well I use hair spray( pump bottle) to had other color grass to them and then plant them using your wet water and glue (60/40) with a few drops of dish soap.

[polobeer]

Excellent layout Mike D. I've seen your photos of this layout before. As a long time railway modeller (especially of old mineral lines and dock railways) I found these photos very inspiring! I use this fibre grass a good deal (along with carpet underlay, lint, etc) to good effect. I first paint a base brown colour in the area to be grassed and let this dry. I then place PVA glue on the painted area and apply a small amount of the grass fibre by hand pushing a rolled piece softly into the glue; I then sprinkle on very finely sieved soil onto the grass fibre and glue. Then after about 15 minutes I vacuum off the excess soil; this causes the grass fibres to stand up, leaving a realistic soil base which covers any excess glue. It looks extremely convincing and realistic.

All the best
Simon  ::)

[polobeer]

Hello hopeitfloats!

I would definitely recommend one book you should read called: "Landscape Modelling" by Barry Norman, published by Wild Swan. It is pretty easy to find via Google. You'll find everything you need to know about model grass and all other scenic methods. This book has probably inspired more railway modellers than any other scenic book in recent times. It is like a bible for finescale modellers, particularly those building layouts in P4 scale.

Cheers
Simon 

[ronkh]

Mike D,

How big is that, will it be at an exhibition soon or is it already?
Can you tell me the best way to weather models? I am about to start a diorama - harbour scene (with a 1:67 scale Thames barge which I want to weather first) a small section of running rail with a sort of shunting engine - 1940/1950s, usual harbour type dwellings etc. Any books to do with weathering that you can recommend would be appreciated.

Ron.

[polobeer]

Ron,

Have a look at the Wild Swan range of model railway books as they are brilliant for weathering advice, scenery, etc. Weathering railway models can be carried out in a number of ways. The best approach is the subtle one; don't over do it or your models will look awful. Refer to photos of the real loco, wagon, coach or building, etc as much as possible or have a look at the model press for inspiration. Many modellers prefer to use an airbrush which will give a light, matt dusty look (if applied carefully). Other modellers will use a fine brush and paint by hand. If the latter approach is adopted try using very little paint so it is almost dry and get the paint into areas of detail that you want to highlight (this is called dry brushing). You can also use VERY diluted paint and give your models a light weathered look (matt white paint is good for this and ages models very nicely). Then there are weathering powders (such as the Carrs range available from C and L finescale, I believe) which can really bring a model to life. The way to use these versatile powders is to lightly weather the model with paint first, let that dry properly, then rub small amounts of the weathering powders into the paint and remove the excess. I would strongly recommend the Wild Swan books, however as you will be guided by some of the best railway modellers in the UK. Prototype dock railways are a fascinating subject but not widely covered by the press in my experience. Try Google for dock/harbour railways and look in their images. You will find the best inspiration, in this respect, through prototype photos. Famous dock/harbour railways could be found in places like Weymouth in Dorset (the line is still in situ); Ipswich; Southampton; Bristol Harbour Railway (currently an operating museum line); Gloucester docks; Liverpool and Birkenhead, etc. The list could go on! I'll post a couple of photos for you later today of a Hornby Pug loco that I am in the process of weathering and converting to finescale running; these were typical of very small dock shunting locos.

Simon 

[Mike D]

Hi Ron

the layout is pretty much finished, theres always little details to add, and more locos to build.

it will be at the Soutport model railway show at the end of this month.


I can only echo what Ron has said, always find photos of what your weathering, there is thousands of photos out there.

I usually weather my steam locos with a wash of enamels thinned with white spirit, browny greys, always matt, and stay away from black, use different shades of grey, and lighter colours.

I will give them a spray of matt varnish afterwoulds also.

websites I can highly recommend, I regularly post on this very popular, friendly and knowledgable site. http://www.rmweb.co.uk

and this US site is brilliant, the effects these guys get are amazing, they tend to use Gouache

http://www.modeltrainsweathered.com/

Mike

[polobeer]

Hello Ron,

Here are the Hornby Pug photos I mentioned. The model is not complete and needs extra details adding (such as three link couplings) and some final touches of weathering. It has Ultrascale driving wheels fitted replacing the original Hornby ones. As I said in my earlier posting the Pugs (a Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway company design) were typical of many short wheelbase dock shunting locomotives; they were ideal for the tight curves and uneven track so often found on dock railways.

Cheers
Simon  :)

[Mike D]

Hey Simon,

I love these little locos, they where a common site along the dock road in my home town

Im currently having a go at the high level chassis kit for the hornby pug, does away with the motor in the cab and makes it a slow and smooth runner






Mike